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Wednesday, 14 August 2024
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MILS NEWS 03/04/96From: "M.I.L.S." <mils@MILS.SPIC.ORG.MK>Macedonian Information Liaison Service DirectoryCONTENTS[01] OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROBLEMS IN THE REGION[02] TIRANA MEETING - A PLOT AGAINST GREECE![03] ATHENS REITERATES ITS SUPPORTS FOR CoE ACTIVITIES[04] SIGNIFICANT US MILITARY AID FOR ALBANIA[05] UNNECESSARY FEAR IN MACEDONIA FOR THE AGREEMENT[06] REJECTING REGIONAL ASSOCIATING IN THE BALKANS[07] AUSTRIAN AID FOR MACEDONIAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME[08] MINISTER FRCHKOVSKI WILL VISIT NORDIC COUNTRIES[09] LAWS ON BANK SYSTEM ADOPTED[10] SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS YEAR FOR KOMERCIJALNA BANKA[11] COLLECTING SIGNATURES FOR REFERENDUM ENDS TODAYMILS SUPPLEMENT[12] Elisabeth Rehn: The Situation Regarding the Minorities' Rights and the Media In Macedonia is Worrying ('Dnevnik', 3 April 1996)MILS NEWSSkopje, 3 April 1996[01] OPEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROBLEMS IN THE REGIONAfter his returning from the ministerial meeting in Tirana, Macedonian Defense Minister Blagoj Hanjiski said the Albanin Premier Alexander Meksi will visit Macedonia at the end of this month.He stated that most important about the meeting in Tirana was that the participants openly discussed all the problems in the region and made efforts to find ways to establish a mutual confidence. Hanjiski quoted the US Secretary of Defense William Perry by saying that the 'Partnership for Peace' Programme was a vestibule of NATO, which should encourage those who did not attend this meeting, to come to the next one. Tirana meeting was a beginning of regular similar future meetings, that should be also attended by countries important for the development of the regional processes, emphasized Hanjiski, referring to the participation of USA and Italy. He expressed his sorry for the absence of the Greek delegation in Tirana, as they would have contributed to an even more constructive dialogue and discussion. [02] TIRANA MEETING - A PLOT AGAINST GREECE!The meeting of the NATO and 'Partnership for Peace' Programme members was qualified by the Greek press as an attempt to make a plot against Greece. On the other hand the Greek government was criticized for not attending the meeting. 'Makfax' agency reported the Greek comments that Washington tried to make an axis: Albania-Macedonia- Bulgaria. Accusing the USA for making a military block in front of the Greek borders, the opposition paper 'Elefteros Tipos' wrote yesterday that Washington had asked Tirana, Skopje and Sofia to form joint rapid reaction forces, that would allegedly cooperate in cases of natural catastrophes.Conservative daily 'Katimerini' commented the absence of Greece at the meeting as a constant attempt of PASOK's governments to systematically reduce the role of Greece in NATO. Officially, Greece refused to attend the Tirana meeting because other Balkan countries had not been invited to it. [03] ATHENS REITERATES ITS SUPPORTS FOR CoE ACTIVITIESGreek agency ANA informed that Greece yesterday had praised the contribution of the Council of Europe (CoE) on promotion of programmes for the establishment, education and housing of repatriated Greeks from the former Soviet Union. Speaking to reporters after talks with CoE General Secretary Daniel Tarschys, Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos reiterated Greece's support for all the council's activities related to the protection of human rights and freedom.On his part, Tarschys said the council's Parliamentary assembly would convene in the northern Greek capital of Thessaloniki in the coming months. [04] SIGNIFICANT US MILITARY AID FOR ALBANIAUS Secretary of Defense William Perry informed on a yesterday's press conference in Tirana that USA had offered $100 million as a military aid to Albania. He said the aid would consist of anti-tank and antiaircraft rackets. It is also planned a military training centre to be opened in Biza, where American-Albanian maneuvers took place this year.[05] UNNECESSARY FEAR IN MACEDONIA FOR THE AGREEMENTMacedonian vice Premier and coordinator in the negotiations with the EU Jane Miljoski, on a press conference held yesterday, said the European negotiators in Brussels had explained that Macedonian government should not be afraid from any imposing of regional associating. He informed on the EU principle to automatically extand a most favored nation treatment for the country with which a cooperation agreement is signed. The regional components were set by the Union to give possibilities to Macedonia to make more favourable arrangements with its neighbours, in case there is an interest in it, without being obliged to automatically spread them to the Union member countries. The EU considers, according to Miljoski, that Macedonia is given a greater freedom in the economy relations with foreign partners in that way.Regarding the Macedonian insisting on making precise the evolution clause (for associating Macedonia to the EU immediately after the conditions are fulfilled), the Union representatives said there were some unpleasant experiences with other countries in fixing the day of the begining of the negotiations, added Miljoski. There were cases when the associating had not been realized, which is worse than the gradual development of the relations, stressed Macedonian vice Premier. He said the EU representatives convinced him that Macedonia will practically be given all the rights the other countries have with the Agreement. Miljoski informed that the financial arrangement of Macedonia and EU will be of ECU 150 million value - a credit with beneficiary interest rates, which will be paid from the EU budget funds. As the Macedonian negotiating team insisted on a bigger amount, it was agreed that the European Investment Bank would finance infrastructure projects in Macedonia, but without beneficiary interest rates. This credit will be given after the old debts (of the Railways 'Skopje' and of the Roads Construction Institute) of $ 80 million are paid back, said Miljoski. [06] REJECTING REGIONAL ASSOCIATING IN THE BALKANSMacedonian media reported that Alexandros Mallias, the Head of the Hellenic Liaison Office in Skopje and the President of the Macedonian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Ilinka Mitreva agreed yesterday that there was a positive trend in the bilateral communications, in the spirit of good neighbourly relations, mutual respect and intensive cooperation. The identical stands of Macedonia and Greece, i.e. not accepting any kind of regional associating in the Balkans were also emphasized.Meanwhile, representatives of Macedonian and Greek Railways signed yesterday in Thessaloniki an Agreement on commercial privileges. They also made a preliminary agreement on establishing a tariff union for the freight transport. [07] AUSTRIAN AID FOR MACEDONIAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEMinister of Development of Macedonia Abdulmenaf Bejetti and the Director of the Cooperation Department in the Austrian Federal Chancellor's Office, Ulrich Schtracher, signed an Agreement yesterday in Skopje, by which Macedonia is given $ 177 000 for the development strategy.This makes the Austrian government a co-creditor of the project approved by the UN at the end of 1995, for which Macedonia received $ 600 000. The development programme, which should define the development of the Republic till 2 020, will be prepared by the Macedonia Academy of Art and Science in cooperation with the Vienna Institute. [08] MINISTER FRCHKOVSKI WILL VISIT NORDIC COUNTRIESMacedonian Foreign Minister Ljubomir Frchkovski will pay a visit to Sweden, Finland and Denmark, in mid of this month.He will also give a presentation on the topic 'Republic of Macedonia and the situation in the Balkans' at the Swedish Foreign Policy Institute in Stockholm. [09] LAWS ON BANK SYSTEM ADOPTEDYesterday, Macedonian Parliament adopted: the Law on National Bank, the Law on Banks Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, and the Law on Banks and Savings Banks.The new Law makes the National Bank a central one, on a higher level than the others. The Bank will guarantee for 60% of the savings up to DM 10 000 per client. With the Law on Banks Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, the obligations that appeared after using the Paris Club credits beginning from October 31, 1995 are taken over. With the Law on Banks and Savings Banks, the founding capital for a bank is raised to DM 7 million (i.e. to DM 21 million for a bank working with foreign countries), the founding capital for postal savings is raised to DM 1 million, and for other savings banks to DM 300 000. Also, a fund for ensuring the savings is formed for the first time. [10] SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS YEAR FOR KOMERCIJALNA BANKAKomercijalna Banka from Skopje will pay DM 4 million dividends to its shareholders, was announced at the annual meeting of the Bank yesterday. The Bank made a profit of 295 million denars last year, which is 55% more than the last year. The Agreement signed with the European Bank (on a DM 15 million credit) and the fact that the EBRD had become one of the biggest shareholders of Komercijalna Banka were stressed as another proof of its successful work.[11] COLLECTING SIGNATURES FOR REFERENDUM ENDS TODAYAccording to sources from VMRO - DPMNE, A-1 TV reported that collecting the signatures for a referendum on early elections will end today. The initiative will be finalized by submitting the additional signatures in the Parliament tomorrow.Macedonian Radio quoted the unofficial statements of some members of the Parliament that there was a doubt whether it was possible 162 000 signatures to be collected in four days only. Suspicion had appeared that the initiative might have started in secret long before. Macedonian Radio also informed on the possibility for the signatures to be checked by official parliamentary bodies or by the State Electoral Commission. There is a dilemma, however, whether the Commission can be authorised by the Parliament to check the signatures. MILS SUPPLEMENT[12] Elisabeth Rehn: The Situation Regarding the Minorities' Rights and the Media In Macedonia is Worrying('Dnevnik', 3 April 1996)Although the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not facing such big problems as the parts of the region are, it still has some serious problems that must be mentioned regarding the human rights. Most worrying are: passing the new laws, the irregularities in the work of the bodies that carry out the laws, the minorities' rights and the situation regarding the media.This is stated in the latest report on the situation of human rights on the territory of former Yugoslavia, made by Elisabeth Rehn, the Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Ms. Rehn states that there are still irregular methods in the work of the police. The illegal use of the so-called 'informative talks' and interrogations is most distressing. Rehn, therefore, appeals to the government to take the necessary measures and to improve the discipline of the police, as well as to pay a greater attention to the education of the police officers in the field of human rights. The Special Rapporteur encourages the government to continue its efforts to provide an equal approach for the national minorities to their education and employment, and to look for alternative ways for these groups to be educated in their mother tongues. The special needs of the minorities have to be also taken into account during the preparing of the new Law on Higher Education. Rehn invites all the parties involved to make an open dialogue and to solve the remaining issues and problems in the frames of the Constitution. Rehn greeted the acceptance of Macedonia in OSCE last October and in the Council of Europe last November. She believes that the membership of the country in these institutions will secure the further development and improvement of the human rights and freedoms. It must be noted that the acceptance of Macedonia in the Council of Europe and especially the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights will oblige the government to enforce the efforts for strengthening the legislation and policies, in accordance with the international and European standards. The situation regarding the media, especially the independence of the press, is seriously worrying, in the frames of the global human rights situation. The main media and the distribution net, which cover the whole country, are still controlled by the government, reads the report. Ms. Rehn, therefore, greets the recent initiative for publishing a private newspaper that will cover the whole territory of the country, referring to the initiative of publishing the daily 'Dnevnik'. Some independent press representatives claim there is still a discrimination in the access to the official information, at the press conferences and in the interviews with politicians or other governmental officials. The Special UN Rapporteur confirms the urgent necessity for establishing the regulations for the TV and radio broadcasting, as the situation about it is ambiguous, due to the lack of new and modern legal acts. (end)mils news 3 April 1996 |
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